Montjoy_Emily_BlogShare

 Books to Bring a Spark to Your Library

Imagination Soup-- A blog full of books & fun learning resources written by a mom, writer, former educator and literacy trainer, Melissa Taylor

Imagination Soup Blog Link

This blog has become one of my go-to for book resources for children.  Author, Melissa Taylor, has vast knowledge on the subject of children's literature and uses her experience in the school setting to help currate book lists for children.  This resource is extremely useful for teachers, librarians, parents, and children.  If you are looking for a book, you are sure to find what you are looking for here on her blog!  There are book lists organized by age, topic, and genre.  You can find book lists for audio books, graphic novels, picture books, chapter books, books to read aloud, bedtime stories, books made into movies, etc.  The possibilities are endless!  I first found her blog through Facebook.  She posts regularly, so I highly recommend following her on social media so you catch her latest updates.  She also has a section designated for playful learning which includes toys, games, writing, and stem related topics.  She also shares seasonal posts full of book ideas to relate to the current holidays.  One other useful section on her blog are mentor books for teaching.  For example, books to teach letter writing, perspective, or figurative language.  This is especially helpful for school librarians who are working with teachers and connecting library lessons to the classroom curriculum.

I could share so many relevant and useful blog posts from this blog, so narrowing it down to three to five was a bit difficult.  I can't recommend her blog enough.  Here are several blog posts that I thought would be beneficial for librarians.

1. Teaching Information Literacy with Children's Books

https://imaginationsoup.net/teach-information-literacy-with-childrens-books/

This post is written by a guest blogger, Geralyn Westervelt, a a recently retired school librarian.  In this blog, Westervelt shares what information literacy is, why it is important to teach it, and how to teach it to students using picture books.  She explains how students are exposed to an abundance of information in today's tech-rich world, and it is imperative that we teach our students how to read information and how to determine it's accuracy.  She shares this graphic that explains what information literacy is: research skills, digiital competencies, media literacy, and academic literacy.  We have a challenging job: teaching children and young adults how to find reliable resources and news outlets, how to use critial thinking skills to analyze the information, and then what to do with the information we have at our fingertips.

In the post, Westervelt shares many picture books that you can use to teach this skill in the library setting.  Here are two that looked like good choices to me that I have not seen before!

2. 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids

Best Nonfiction Books

One week during our classwork we were to read nonfiction books.  Personally, I have found that reading aloud nonfiction can be one genre we often shy away from, but we shouldn't.  I challenged myself to read more nonfiction aloud to my students and personal child.  It is important that just as they hear fiction be read aloud and learn the story structure, it is also important that they hear nonfiction read aloud and modeled for them how to read nonfiction.  Nonfiction sometimes gets a sterotype as a boring genre to read, and all to often, it is avoided.  I chose this blog so that I could find some new, exciting, award winning nonfiction to read aloud.  Taylor emphasizes this same point in her blog.  She says often her students struggled more with nonfiction comprehension than fictional comprehension and it was really because of a lack of exposure and practice.  "Reading nonfiction builds the very important skill of reading for meaning." (Taylor, 2023) It is a great idea to read nonfiction often to model this important skill and to give students practice as well.  This post shares 35 different new nonfiction picture books and a short summary for each one.  I am excited to check out these new titles, most of which I have not read.

3. 70 Best Christmas Books for Kids

Christmas Books

I could really spend hours digging through this blog and the numerous book lists.  One way I searched was by going to the blog tab and clicking on the "by topic" choice.  This has a long list of books organized by various topics in alphabetical order.  Since Christmas is coming up, I chose to click and read through this post.  In this post Taylor recommends her favorite Christmas picture books, chapter books, middle grade books, and activity books.  

The remainder of the post shares various Christmas books, both old and new.  Some books were classics and well known books like The Polar Express and Red and Lulu.  But there were many others listed that I had never heard of before, so I appreciate her list of newer titles that aren't read and reread.  In the library I like to try to find books students have not heard many times and expose them to new literature and a variety of diverse texts and authors.  However, rereading some classics just never gets old, like The Polar Express.  Children often enjoy hearing their favorites read time and time again.

If you're looking for a book to read, and you need the perfect read aloud recommendation, this blog is a go-to that will be a valuable resource to your professional tool box when working in a library setting.  

Enjoy, & happy reading!

What I am reading this week:

We were to read comedy books this week.  Reading funny books is a must in the library!  I chose to read the books shared in the blog I found this week mentioned above, and this is perfect timing for the upcoming weeks at school. Taylor shared these top picks on her blog for funny Christmas books which will make for great read alouds in the library!  Here's what I am reading:

Montjoy_Emily_FreeChoiceBlog

Storytelling in the Library

Poetry Slams & Podcasts

This week we were able to have a free choice for our blog post.  As we are nearing the end of the semester, I thought about what were a few things I wanted to dive into more to take away from this storytelling course and possibly share with fellow classmates who could use the ideas and information as well.  The week we read poetry, we also did readings about digital storytelling.  Writing poetry and using that to create a digital storytelling experience is definitely something I want to try with my students. After I finished my post that week I remembered how much I loved a book where the main characters were involved in poetry slams and I watched several both online and in person over the years.  Poetry slams are usually geared towards high school students (and possibly middle schoolers), but I was curious if this was something I could try with elementary aged students.

I found this article by one of my favorite authors, Ralph Fletcher, How to Host a Poetry Slam.  Fletcher visited a school that was presenting a poetry slam and shares tips and the how-to for organizing a poetry contest and poetry slam event.  I love the idea of having students sign up to participate in the poetry contest.  In the article Fletcher mentions the teacher who organized the event stressed the positive impact writing, reading, rereading, and performing the poetry had on her students.  Another great article that explains some of the history of poetry slams, the definition, reasons to include slams in your classrooms and libraries, and great examples can be found in this article by Jill Staake, What Is Slam Poetry and How Can Teachers Use It With Students?  Poetry is often looked at as a boring genre to study, but writing and reading poetry can be intense and emotional.  Students can often examine tough topics through poetry.  Poetry slams gives students a chance to share their writing in a creative way and practice storytelling or performing, engaging with the audience, and adding emotion through tone and mood while sharing something that is important to them.  

Here is an example of a student participating in a poetry slam.

"Mathmatical Blues"

Kimberly Simms Gibbs shares information about poetry slams in her blog post, Poetry Slams in Your Classroom.  She shares some of the history behind the beginnings of poetry slams from the 1980's.  Poetry seemed to be a dying genre, and poet Marc Smith saw people pouring into Wrigley Field, so he decided to use baseball to "jazz" up poetry and created the idea "poetry slams" taking a play on words from the grand slam in baseball.  I had no idea this is where this idea originated.   I was thinking how fun it would be to host a baseball themed poetry slam in the spring, especially since April is National Poetry Month.

One last resource for teaching and organizing poetry slams is Lindsay Ann's Teaching Slam Poetry  I am looking forward to one day hosting a poetry contest and having a poetry slam/ poetry night in the library one day.  Have you ever participated in or been a part of an audience during a poetry slam?  How would you incorporate this exciting spin on a often forgotten genre?

Podcasts

Another idea I wanted to add to my toolbox was the idea of using podcasts-- either to listen to stories or to record stories.  When I first started searching for ideas, I thought, you could connect the poetry slam with podcasting as well!  So once I started searching, I did find several podcasts incorporating poetry slams like University of Oxford Recordings from the 2009 Online Poetry Slam competition.  However, there isn't many options for poetry slam within podcasting.  

I love listening to podcasts, and I have found that my students have really enjoyed them in my classroom as well.  There are many options for storytelling podcasts available.  One way I want to use them in the library is to have a podcast station where students can plug in and listen to a story.  This is similar to audio books or the very popular Tonies (my daughter and now my students favorite audio device for storytelling!).  I have zero experience recording podcasts, but I think this is something students would really buy into and be motivated to use in the classroom and library setting.  Several podcasts for storytelling that your patrons might enjoy are: 

1. What if World-- Stories for Kids by Eric O'Keeffe

2. Stories Podcast by Starglow Media

3. Storynory 

4. Story Pirates

5. Circle Round by WBUR

6. Geeking Out from National Geographic Kids

7. Story Seeds 

Why use podcasts?  Podcasts are great to help students develop listening skills and listening comprehension.  Podcasts give students the chance to let their eyes and brains relax from straining to read and enjoy a story and explore new topics and information.  One of my favorite podcasts that I have personally used is Circle Round.  Circle Round is a collection of folktales.  Included with the podcast/ storytelling experience are discussion prompts and coloring pages that students can use while listening to the story.  Kids will love this! 

Check it out here Circle Round

The last thing that I found while searching for poetry slams and podcasting in the library was a podcast called Story Corps.  I had never heard of this one, but you can find the link here Story Corps.  Story Corps was created to record, preserve, and stories of Americans. This really reminded me of digital storytelling but in a totally audio format through podcasting.  What originally caught my eye was their program called, The Great Thanksgiving Listen.  I love the idea of interviewing an elder member of your family or someone older and important to you.  Then recording the interview using the Story Corps App.  These interviews are preserved and saved for generations to come!  

I am really excited to try out these new ideas in the library!  I can't wait to hear any of your favorite poetry and podcasts resources as well.

What I am reading this week:

Classic Literature-- I really enjoyed reading some classic stories that have been around for quite awhile that I haven't ever had a chance to read.

1. The Gruffalo

2. Paddington

3. The Tiger Who Came to Tea

4. The Snowman

5. Madeline

6. Olivia

Montjoy_Emily_StorytellingReflection

 Storytelling Session Reflection

During this course, we were able to plan, record, and share several storytime sessions.  We presented storytime sessions that were with a book, with props, with interaction, and without a book.  Each of these storytime sessions were similar but unique to their own style and requirements.  Some sessions were easier, like storytime with a book.  Some sessions were harder like storytime with props or without a book.  Overall, planning and conducting these storytime sessions helped to gain some experience and feedback from others while I practiced reading and creating an engaging storytime session for others.  I felt most comfortable telling a story with a book, and least comfortable with props or no book at all.  The story I chose to tell without a book was one I had read aloud many times, so it was okay.  I think I could tell some stories from memory that I tell my daughter at bedtime.  She often asks for, "tell me a story with your mouth" after we read a book together.  Children love storytime, both with books and without!

My personal background, knowledge, and experienced really helped me with this part of the course.  I have been a reading teacher for 17 years so picking a story, planning a read aloud, engaging students, and creating meaningful questions and activities was very familiar and easy to me.  I honestly thought this course would be more "storytelling" in the sense of storytellers on stage telling a story from memory.  Conducting read alouds is something I do on a daily basis so this came with ease and comfort.  However, planning storytime sessions with props and without a book took me out of my comfort zone, as did recording myself and sharing it with other adults.  Also, collaborating with others during the course and reading a variety of texts from different genres also helped me to add to my read aloud resources and learn new titles to share with my students and faculty.  What I am most excited about is taking what I have learned and using it in the school library.  Sharing stories, texts, and ideas through this course will be beneficial to me as I move forward from teacher to librarian.

Beginning

Planning, Story Choice, & Setup

When planning a storytime session, the first thing I think about is the audience.  I ask myself, "what is appropriate for this age group?"  Small children are not going to be able to sit for as long as older children, so thinking about your audience is crucial to planning a successful storytime.  Younger audiences are going to be more engaged with repetition, rhyming, and silly stories.  They also appreciate when they can anticipate what is coming and participate in the read aloud.  Older audiences are going to enjoy stories that make them think beyond the text, have them guessing what may happen next, surprise plot twists and endings, but also enjoy silly stories as well.  When planning the storytime the reader must also think about the audience's interests and any factors that could hinder any of the patrons.  For example, I have a student that is blind, so I always try to pick stories for his class that are very detailed in their description so he can follow the story without seeing the pictures.  Younger audiences are really going to enjoy props like felt boards or puppets where older audiences may not enjoy those interactive elements, but they do love when I use the novel effect sound effects app and change my voice to complement the text.  Also thinking about what time of year you're currently in and any holidays or curricular needs from teachers are important to take into account when planning your storytime.

It is imperative that you read the book prior to the storytime, multiple times if necessary.  This practice rehearsal will give you the chance to correct any mispronunciations, plan for places in the story that require you to slow down, speed up, change your voice, add dialogue, check your volume, etc. anything to enhance the actual story to make it come alive for the listeners.  I found that practicing and rehearsing the story beforehand helped me to have the correct pace for the story and include any voice changes or questioning techniques to enhance the storytime experience.  Setting up your area is also important.  Because I was filming this, I chose a quiet place with good lighting.  I wanted an area that created a storytime vibe.  For example, I had our bookshelves in the background while I was reading and removed any distractions from view.  This is important to plan in your real face-to-face storytime sessions as well.  Creating an environment that the patrons feel comfortable and can relax and enjoy the story, free from distractions and interruptions, will benefit you and your audience.  Making sure everyone can see and if you're using a book that contains pictures, it is important the patrons can see well.

Middle

Performance

When reading aloud to an audience, it can be tricky to make sure everyone is staying focused and engaged.  Over the course of the semester, I found that the storytime sessions that included props and interaction helped the patrons stayed focused, engaged, participating, and comprehending the story.  This provides a more enjoyable and entertaining experience.  However, this is the more tricky part as the storyteller-- planning and prepping and delivering a storytime with props can turn into a juggling act.  I used a story that I almost knew by heart.  I still held the book in one hand and picked up props with the other hand as I needed them throughout the storytime, but, I definitely think memorizing the story is crucial if you plan on using props.  It was hard to manage both the book and props, and my book was smaller size.  Also, even though recording yourself is a little nerve-wracking, having a live audience, especially of kids, can create extra jitters since they are sitting there waiting for your next move.  

I used Novel Effect for a couple of my storytime sessions.  Novel Effect provides "soundscapes" or sound effects that complement the story.  This is another way to enhance the storytime experience and engage the audience.  I have found that my students are more attentive to the story when I use the music to catch their attention.  This is just another way, like using props and interactive methods, to catch the audience's attention and keep them focused throughout the experience.  

End

Reactions & My Feelings

Introducing the story and closing the story were aspects that help hook the listener at the beginning and get them thinking about the story, and the closing at the end helps to wrap everything up.  Sometimes during recording this is easy to forget to do because there was not a live audience, so I had to constantly remind myself not to leave this out.  In my classroom I never just open a book and start reading without saying anything to all of the students sitting there, so it makes sense why this is absolutely necessary.  I found the feedback from classmates to be interesting.  Most always the feedback was positive, constructive, and helpful.  However, there was one week where I had mixed reviews from classmates which I think would be not uncommon in the real world.  Some people like the story and the delivery and others do not, which alot of that is based on personal perferences and opinions.  I learned to just take the feedback from that week with a grain of salt.  However, it was a good reminder to me that every storytime session isn't going to resonate with every student every time.  Where one class really loved a story and were engaged and interacting, the next class may roll their eyes and be unamused.  Planning a storytimes can be tricky, so providing a variety of storytimes both in style and in diverse titles/ genres will be so important when working in a library and reading to a variety of diverse people with various backgrouds, interests, and abilities.

Nonfiction Books I am Reading this Week:

Jumper

We Are Branches

Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist

A Search for a Giant Squid (Pick Your Own Path)

Keepunumuk: Weeachumun’s Thanksgiving Story